Piano music-rack



(No Model.)

C. R. ELIAS. PIANO MUSIC RACK.

No. 557,304. Patented Mar. 31, 1896.

'l i i l 1 l l ANDREW EGR/01AM. PrlUTO-Lmi. WASNINLFIONA D C UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL ROBERT ELIAS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PIANO MUSIC-RACK.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 557,304, dated March 31, 1896.

Application iled April 3, 1893. Serial No. 468,952. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL ROBERT ELIAS, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved. Music-Rack for Upright Pianos, of which the following is a full and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved device for opening and closing a music-rack of an upright piano noiselessly and with ease and at the same time closing the opening above the rack with an oscillating panel remaining' on the rear side of the front frame.

The invention consists of a spiral spring balancing a sliding-down music-rack and connecting it with an Oscillating panel, and in certain parts and details and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter, and pointed out in the claim, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

Figure l represents a vertical section of the music-rack drawn out and down 0n the line X X of Fig. 4. Fig. 2 shows a vertical section of the same when closed. Fig. 3 is a plan view when closed. Fig. 4 represents a rear elevation with the rack drawn down.

A in the drawings represents the front frame of an upright piano provided with a large opening in the middle in tlie usual manner intended for a panel or a rack.

a is a small cushion on the rear side of front frame.

B is the music-rack tting loosely in the opening of the frame and lapping over in front at both ends, as shown in Fig. 3, to the rear of which is fastened a hard-wood strip C, which is connected with the tip-board D by means of two hinges E E. The other edge of the tip-board D is also connected with two hinges F F to frame A. Music-rack B is provided on its rear side at the upper edge with a strip of wood Gr, extending through the opening of the frame A and connected by two hinges g g to the oscillating panel II, which is intended to wholly remain at the rear side of front frame A and close the opening left by music-rack B when drawn down, as shown in Fig. l. Two blocks I I are screwed :near

to the ends of panel H, which blocks are fulcrumed at J to two other blocks K K, which are fastened to the rear of frame A. On the rear of panel H, near the lower edge, is glued a block L, carrying an elevated cushion M at one projecting end and provided with a screw N, to which is hitched the upper end of spiral spring O. The lower end of this spring O is hitched to another screw n in the middle of strip C.

The operation is as follows: When the music-rack B is drawn from its position shown in Fig. 2, the panel H, being hinged to the rack B and fastened to blocks I I, which are fulcrumcd at J, follows the movement and, oscillating forward, but still remaining at the rear side of front frame A, closes the opening caused by the downward movement of the rack, and when touching the cushion a thereby terminates the movement of the rack B, as shown in Fig. l. The spring O resists the movement somewhat and prevents the rack from coming out too rapidly, and as it counterbalances the weight of the rack to a large extent facilitates its return to the closed condition shown in Fig. 2. The start of this return movement is made easy by the cushion M,fastened to block L,which bends the spring O out of its natural straight line, as shown in Fig. l, thereby giving the panel H a tendency to oscillate back.

I am aware that prior to my invention sliding music racks connected with different parts of upright pianos have been made. I therefore do not claim such a combination broadly; but

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination in an upright piano of a sliding music-rack,anoscillating panel adapted to close the opening left by the downward movement of the rack by adjusting itself to the rear side of said opening, a spiral spring for counterbalancing the weight of the rack and an elevated cushion M adapted t0 bend the spiral spring out of its straight line for the purpose of facilitating the return movement of the oscillating panel, substantially as herein shown and described.

CARL ROBERT ELIAS. Witnesses:

J E. MICHAEL, R. PEARsoN. 

